Saturday 17th Nov 2012 saw a Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) protest in the center of Dublin against the attacks on Gaza by the Israeli state. Speakers at the protest on O'Connell street included a Gaza resident and a member of the Israeli Anarchists Against the Wall group - both speeches are in the embedded video.

IPSC Spokesperson Freda Hughes said, “Israel is an occupying power in the region. As such it is under an obligation to take all necessary measures to protect the civilian population of the occupied territory. According to the rules of International Humanitarian Law, the Israeli military must at all times distinguish between civilian and military targets. In addition, Israel must adhere to the principle of proportionality, which states that any attack that may be expected to cause loss of civilian life, injury to civilians or damage to civilian objects, which would be excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated, is prohibited.”

She continued: “In the four years since Operation Cast Lead, 270 Palestinians and 3 Israelis have lost their lives in exchanges of hostilities, according to the Israeli human rights organisation B’Tselem. And there is the bigger picture: Palestinians were ethnically cleansed from Israel at its founding, and remain under military occupation in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza, while more than 30 laws systematically discriminate against Palestinian citizens of Israel. We call on our government, the international community and civil society to carry out a campaign of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel until it complies with international law and universal principles of human rights. This is a peaceful and effective way to help bring about an end to this conflict”.

Ms Hughes concluded by saying that “the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign calls on people to take five simple steps to help end the Israeli attack on Gaza, from emailing politicians to boycotting Israeli products like diamonds and foodtsuffs. You can see the list at www.ipsc.ie/5simplesteps“.